Southampton joins UK study to protect people with weakened immune systems against COVID-19
Southampton researchers are involved in a national study investigating the immune response of people with a weakened immune system to COVID-19 vaccination.
Assessing their risk
More than 35,000 ‘immunocompromised’ people, who have a weaker immune system due to illness or treatments such as chemotherapy, will take part in the study across the UK.
Immunocompromised people tend to be the least likely to develop an antibody response following vaccination against COVID-19. However, within this group there are huge variations between individuals and different immune conditions.
Evidence has shown this group is more likely to have severe infection, even following two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. They may therefore remain unprotected from COVID-19. As a result, this group of patients has been advised to receive a third primary dose of vaccine, which was recently extended to a fourth vaccine.
The study will look at their future risk of infection, hospitalisation and survival in the six months after vaccination. It aims to inform vaccination strategies. It will also identify those who could benefit from other preventative treatments.
Inviting blood cancer patients to take part
The study will investigate solid organ transplant recipients, people with blood cancer and people with rare autoimmune conditions receiving immunosuppression.
Dr Sean Lim, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Haematological Oncology at the Centre of Cancer Immunology, is leading the recruitment of patients with blood cancer.
She said: “Patients with blood cancers have weakened immune systems because of their disease or treatment, and are therefore could be at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 and less likely to be protected by vaccines.
“As more patients receive more vaccines, we need to assess their antibody responses and how they impact on hospitalisation and survival.”
The researchers will send out letters to invite people with blood cancer who are eligible to take part.
Investigating antibodies and infection
The study aims to recruit more than 35,000 people who had their third vaccine dose at least 21 days ago. It will follow them for six months to investigate how many immunosuppressed patients have detectable COVID-19 antibodies. It will also investigate whether those who had a poor antibody response are more at risk of infection and having severe COVID-19.
There are 500,000 immunosuppressed people in the UK. The researchers will use the findings to develop effective COVID-19 infection protection and management strategies to help them.
The data will also help to inform whether immunocompromised people should be prioritised for alternative treatments, like monoclonal antibodies, to provide passive immunity.
The study will be led by researchers at Imperial College London. It is funded by the Medical Research Council in collaboration with several health charities including Kidney Research UK, Blood Cancer UK, Vasculitis UK, and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
The study will also open to recruit transplant recipients in the first instance, followed by the other patient groups in the near future. Transplant recipients may self-register by going to www.melodystudy.org.